There isn’t a more quintessential fall activity than heading to a corn maze on a crisp Saturday afternoon. With several mazes in the Edmonton area, you’ll be able to get your fill before snow hits the ground.
North of the city, near Bon Accord, you can visit Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm. The venue has built an entire festival around their corn maze, offering all of your fall-time favourites in one place.
The farm was started in 1956 and focuses on sustainable agri-tourism, promoting local agriculture in Alberta. You should plan to spend an entire afternoon exploring all that the farm has to offer. Throughout the year, Prairie Gardens hosts several activities such as farm to fork dinner nights and fire roaster cooking classes.
Their biggest attraction, though, is the mega corn maze. The maze itself covers over seven acres and has five kilometres worth of trails to wander along as you try to escape. It could take you over an hour to get out, depending on how well you can answer the trivia questions.
The maze opens in August, but once October hits, so does the Haunted Pumpkin Festival, which has been running for over 20 years and is filled with seasonal activities to get you in the Halloween spirit. Hold tight as you scream your way through the haunted house, or spend a while picking out the perfect pumpkin to carve. You can even try your hand at the pumpkin cannon, knocking over handmade scarecrows.
Stop at food stalls throughout the farm for comfort foods like BBQ beef buns, pumpkin pie, and kettle corn. Or, if you’d rather, you can pack your own picnic to enjoy.
And if you find the maze too easy during daylight hours, the farm allows you to invite nine of your friends to challenge it at night. Grab some flashlights and make your way through the maze before a BYOB marshmallow roast around the campfire.
The corn maze is open until the beginning of November, but if you want to catch the Haunted Pumpkin Festival, you’ll have to visit before Oct. 31. Rates are around $14 for the day and include all the farm has to offer, but if you plan ahead and order online you can save some cash.
If one is just not enough, you may also want to try out some of the other mazes located around the city, such as Amazing Corn Maze, Edmonton Corn Maze, or Kraay Family Farm.
Photography by Matthew Jacula.
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